Zootaxa 3847 (2): 283–291
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Copyright © 2014 Magnolia Press
Article
ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)
ZOOTAXA
ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition)
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3847.2.8
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5C18E9A1-9D8D-4715-86F6-8714FF2CE3AE
Re-description of the gudgeon species Saurogobio gracilicaudatus Yao & Yang in
Luo, Yue & Chen, 1977 (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from the Chang-Jiang basin,
South China, with a note on its generic classification
ZHEN-YAN DAI1, E ZHANG2,4, ZHONG-GUAN JIANG2,3 & XUE WANG2,3
1
College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan Province, P. R. China
Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, Hubei Province, P. R. China
3
Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, P. R. China
4
Corresponding author.E-mail: zhange@ihb.ac.cn
2
Abstract
Saurogobio gracilicaudatus, originally described from the middle Yangtze River (Chang-Jiang in Chinese) basin at
Yichang and Guanghua (now Laohekou), Hubei Province, South China, is here re-described, with particular concern for
oromandibular structures in the mouth. It is uniquely distinguishable from all other species of Saurogobio in having a rostral cap with a slightly crenulated median portion, lips covered with brush-like, conical papillae, and a lower lip with a
small, smooth and protruded central pad anteriorly free and posteriorly confluent with lateral lobes. The generic classification of this species is also discussed on the basis of oromandibular structures, which are of taxonomic importance in
generic classification of gudgeons.
Key words: taxonomy, oromandibular structures, morphology, diagnosis, genera
Introduction
The gudgeon genus Saurogobio Bleeker 1870, is a small group of small or moderate-sized, rheophilic and benthic
gudgeon species characterized by having thick, well-developed, and usually papillated lips, modified lower lip, and
reduced gas bladder. Six valid species have been included in the genus, namely S. dabryi, S, dumerili, S.
gracilicaudatus, S. immaculatus, S. lissilabris (a senior synonym of S. gymnocheilus), and S. xiangjiangensis
(Bǎnǎrescu 1992; Yue in Chen 1998). They are known from East Asia including Russia, China, Korean peninsula,
and northern Vietnam. Recently, Saurogobio has been referred by Jiang & Zhang (2013) to the Armatogobionina,
one of three conventionally recognized subtribes of the tribe Gobionini which is a monophyletic lineage of the
Gobioninae (Tang et al. 2011). It is distinct from all other genera of the subtribe in possessing a slender or snaky
body and an anteriorly positioned dorsal fin with predorsal length greater than postdorsal length (Yue in Chen
1998).
Saurogobio gracilicaudatus was initially described by Yao & Yang in Luo, Yue & Chen (1977) on the basis of
six specimens of 83–147 mm SL from the middle Chang-Jiang basin at Yichang and Guanghua, Hubei Province,
South China, when Luo, Yue & Chen (1977) provided a taxonomic revision of Chinese gudgeons. Although S.
gracilicaudatus has been treated as a valid species (Yue in Chen 1998), its taxonomic status is questionable. A fish
survey conducted in 2013 in the Dongting Lake system in Hunan Province, South China, yielded many specimens
that can be referable to Saurogobio by its current generic definition. These specimens represent three currently
recognized species: S. dabryi, S. lissilabris, and S. gracilicaudatus. Examination of these specimens has shown that
the last species has marked variation in oromandibular structures of the mouth when compared with the first two
species. Further examination of specimens in the collection of the Museum of Aquatic Organisms at the Institute of
Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, has also shown that currently
identified species of Saurogobio vary markedly in oromandibular structures, which are the basis for the generic
Accepted by L. Page: 10 Jun. 2014; published: 7 Aug. 2014
283
Acknowledgments
We are indebted to S. J. Ren and L. Cao (IHB) for their help with the fish field survey. This research was funded by
the Hunan Provincial Agriculture Department.
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REDESCRIPTION OF A VERY POORLY KNOWN SPECIES
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